Battery Recycling - Recycle your battery

We purchase many dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools. Nearly 99 million wet-cell lead-acid car batteries are manufactured each year. The average person owns about two button batteries, ten normal (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, etc.) batteries, and throws out about eight household batteries per year.

But when our used batteries were bad, how do you deal with them?

A battery is an electrochemical device with the ability to convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to electronic devices. Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process.

Batteries may produce the following potential problems or hazards

Pollute the lakes and streams as the metals vaporize into the air when burned.

Contribute to heavy metals that potentially may leach from solid waste landfills.

Expose the environment and water to lead and acid.

Contain strong corrosive acids.

May cause burns or danger to eyes and skin.

Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. In the past, batteries accounted for nearly half of the mercury used in the United States and over half of the mercury and cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.

Recycle your battery

Battery recycling is a recycling activity that aims to reduce the number of batteries being disposed as municipal solid waste. Batteries contain a number of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, their dumping has raised concern over risks of soil contamination and water pollution.

Battery recycling by type

Most types of batteries can be recycled. However, some batteries are recycled more readily than others, such as lead-acid automotive batteries (nearly 90% are recycled) and button cells (because of the value and toxicity of their chemicals). Other types, such as alkaline and rechargeable, can also be recycledrecycled to recover the mercury.

Lead-acid batteries

These batteries include but are not limited to: car batteries, golf cart batteries, UPS batteries, industrial fork-lift batteries, motorcycle batteries, and commercial batteries. These can be regular lead acid, sealed lead acid, gel type, or absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries.These are recycled by grinding them, neutralizing the acid, and separating the polymers from the lead. The recovered materials are used in a variety of applications, including new batteries.

The lead of lead-acid battery can be recycled. Elemental lead is toxic and should therefore be kept out of the waste stream.

Many cities offer battery recycling services for lead-acid batteries. In some jurisdictions, including US states and Canadian Provinces, a refundable deposit is paid on batteries. This encourages recycling of old batteries instead of abandonment or disposal with household waste. In the United States, about 97% of lead from used batteries is reclaimed for recycling.

Businesses which sell new car batteries may also collect used batteries (and may be required to do so by law) for recycling. Some businesses will accept old batteries on a "walk-in" basis (not in exchange for a new battery). Most battery shops and recycling centres will pay for scrap batteries. This can be a lucrative business, enticing especially to risk-takers because of the wild fluctuations in the value of scrap lead that can occur overnight. When lead prices go up, scrap batteries can become targets for thieves.

Silver oxide batteries

Used most frequently in watches, toys and some medical devices, silver oxide batteries contain a small amount of mercury. In most jurisdictions there exists legislation to regulate the appropriate handling and disposal of silver oxide batteries to reduce discharge of mercury to the environment.[citation needed] Silver oxide batteries can be recycled to recover the mercury.

Battery composition by type

Battery recycling (United Kingdom)

During the period April 2005 - March 2008 the UK non-governmental body WRAP conducted trials of battery recycling methods around the UK. The methods tested were: Kerbside, retail drop-off, community drop-off, postal and, Hospital and fire station trials. The kerbside trials collected the most battery mass and were the most well received and understood by the public. The community drop-off containers which were spread around local community areas were also relatively successful in terms of mass of batteries collected. The lowest performing were the hospital and fire service trials (Although these served their purpose very well for specialist battery types like hearing aid and smoke alarm batteries). Retail drop off trials were the second most effective (by volume) method but one of the least well received and used by the public. Both the kerbside and postal trials received the highest awareness and community support.

Household batteries can be recycled in United Kingdom at council recycling sites as well as at some shops and shopping centres e.g. Dixons, Currys, The Link and PC World.

A scheme started in 2008 by a large retail company allowed household batteries to be posted free of charge in envelopes available at their shops. This scheme was cancelled at the request of the Royal Mail because of hazardous industrial battery waste being send as well as household batteries.

An EU directive on batteries that came into force in 2009 means producers must pay for the collection, treatment and recycling of batteries. This has yet to be ratified into UK law however, so there is currently no real incentive for producers to provide the necessary services.

From 1 February 2010 batteries can be recycled anywhere the Be Positive sign appears. Shops and online retailers that sell more than 32 kilograms of batteries a year must offer facilities to recycle batteries. This is equivalent to one pack of 4 AA batteries a day. Shops which sell this amount must by law provide recycling facilities as of 1 February 2010.

In Great Britain an increasing number of shops (Argos, Homebase, B&Q, and Tesco) are providing battery return boxes and cylinders for their customers.